I want to jump in here on one of my pet issues: "squishy" brakes are *not* a problem provided they still stop well, and squish can be indicative of good braking. If they feel stiff, all that means is that you don't have as much mechanical advantage as you could, because of design or setup. If more mechanical advantage is added, the pads and possibly the calipers WILL squish, no matter what. It will feel "mushy" and there will be more power. The best brakes I've ever used were v-brakes operated by short-pull levers, which required very true wheels and felt extremely soft, but provided truly impressive braking thanks to the high MA at both the lever and brake. That was the setup that taught me that squishy brakes can be good.
Soft-feeling brakes also often allow for better modulation than a binary "on-off" brake feeling. In a very stiff-feeling brake system, there is minimal difference in braking power between just barely engaging the brake and yanking as hard as you can, because the lever stops moving in a very defined spot and no amount of force that human hands can apply will move it farther, so the pads don't grip the rim any harder either. That is the definition of a "stiff" feel; you can't get around that, only improve it with more MA (and a softer brake feel). This means that the initial "bite" needs to be very strong, which is the opposite of what I want from a brake. I want to have control over exactly how much braking I get, from "very little" to "STOP RIGHT NOW" and everywhere in between. Good centerpulls absolutely can provide that, and the "squish" that you may feel is simply the feeling of good modulation. However, if the "soft" feeling is from the caliper flexing (like Tektro 559s do), that is not desirable, because the lever travel is just moving the brake and not the pads. Those brakes have a relatively low MA (and low usefulness as brakes) because if it were higher they would flex even worse. Maybe this phenomenon is the root of the misunderstanding; if squishy long-reach-sidepulls were the only soft-feeling brakes I'd experienced, then I would probably shoot for stiffness too. I hope that all makes sense and is helpful. Josiah Anderson Missoula MT On Monday, February 26, 2024 at 4:06:12 PM UTC-5 kyleco...@gmail.com wrote: > >> Hey Christian thanks for all your thoughts! To answer a couple of your >> questions: >> >> *Which CPs are you considering and what is your max tire size? * >> I was looking at the Rene Herse cps. I'd be looking to run 44's, but 42's >> seem to be more intended for the Bleriot >> <http://www.cyclofiend.com/Images/rbw/rr37_pg15.jpg>. The Rene Herse are >> for sure pricey, and I will be spending a bit as it is with the frame >> builder mods. However, they state they have the clearance for 42s and >> fenders. I have a pair of dia-compe canti's >> <https://analogcycles.com/products/blue-lug-diacompe-dc980-cantilever-brakes> >> I love on another bicycle, so much so I put a pair on my girlfriend's >> bicycle. On that note: @Patrick - I've gotten pretty comfy now at setting >> up canti's with drop bars. Specifically the dia-comps. It's all about >> getting that straddle wire set up in the right position. I have done it >> poorly on other pairs of cantis and been called out by real mechanics haha. >> >> *Will you be using fenders? * >> Potentially. I see most of these tours happening in summer and hopefully >> some that require a flight in the nearish future. I'd probably snag a pair >> of SKS for easy mounting and peace of mind when flying. not so much of a >> big deal if my plastic fenders get damaged instead of banging up a nice >> pair of honjos! >> >> *Are you planning on mounting anything to the brake studs (racks, lights >> etc)?* >> If I did canti's I would likely get a Nitto M12 and attach it to the >> brakes. I do plan on having low rider pannier attachments put on for a >> nitto s rack >> <https://global.bluelug.com/catalog/product/view/id/31396/s/nitto-s-rack/category/1460/> >> . >> >> >> Kyle >> >> >> >> On Mon, Feb 26, 2024 at 12:17 PM christian poppell <smo...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >>> Hey Kyle! >>> >>> I have used cantilevers and direct mounted centerpulls (MAFAC RAID with >>> new Rene Herse hardware). If I could do it over I would have installed >>> cantilevers. The downsides for centerpulls for me are modulation, fender >>> fitting, and braze on locations on the fork. >>> >>> Modulation - The MAFAC RAID brakes feel more squishy to me, even after >>> adding a brake booster to the rear. Also, despite my best efforts, I have >>> not been able to eliminate the howling from the rear brake. I threw >>> everything at them, new bushings, toe in washers, salmon pads, black >>> compound pads, sanded and filed the pads, sanded the rims, rode and braked >>> in the rain and in the dirt. Nothing has stopped the howl. >>> >>> Fender fitting - There would be a lot more room to mount fenders and >>> large tires with cantilevers. Honjo h80s rub on the inside of the >>> centerpull arms. If you want to go above 42mm tire with fenders I would go >>> cantilever. >>> >>> Post location on the fork - Not a deal breaker but the posts are mounted >>> really close to the fork crown. Its more of an aesthetic thing for me. In >>> fact, its probably better as it moves the posts into the HAZ of the fork >>> crown/blade joint >>> >>> Brian Chapman has some of the best reference images for how large tires, >>> large fenders, and direct mount centerpulls should look. >>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/chapmancycles/35900124245/in/photostream/ >>> >>> Which CPs are you considering and what is your max tire size? Will you >>> be using fenders? are you planning on mounting anything to the brake studs >>> (racks, lights etc) ? >>> >>> Good Luck! >>> Christian >>> Phoenix, AZ >>> On Monday, February 26, 2024 at 10:07:56 AM UTC-7 kyleco...@gmail.com >>> wrote: >>> >>>> good question. I would think the brakes would play a part, but the >>>> previous owner was running paul center pulls and 48s - I don't think the >>>> frame could take any larger. Seems to be part of our good fortune of people >>>> making products around larger tires these days. >>>> >>>> On Mon, Feb 26, 2024 at 1:50 AM iamkeith <keith...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Would you gain any tire/fender clearace advantage by choosing >>>>> cantilevers? Or will the chainstays end up being the thing that >>>>> determines >>>>> max size? >>>>> On Sunday, February 25, 2024 at 1:05:38 PM UTC-7 kyleco...@gmail.com >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Hey all, >>>>>> >>>>>> Just swooped up an old bleriot that I am going to be bringing to a >>>>>> local frame builder to do some mods to for racks and mounted brakes. I am >>>>>> looking to set this one up as a touring bike and torn between having >>>>>> cantilever or centerpull brake posts installed. Any thoughts from folks >>>>>> who >>>>>> have ridden both? >>>>>> >>>>>> Kyle >>>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>>>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/9Jqr2OjGTus/unsubscribe >>>>> . >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>>>> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/48792c69-e485-487c-bea6-0599dc1bdbb5n%40googlegroups.com >>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/48792c69-e485-487c-bea6-0599dc1bdbb5n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>> . >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> >>>> KYLE V. COTCHETT >>>> >>>> An urban planner of sorts >>>> >>>> kyleco...@gmail.com >>>> >>>> (650) 863-0925 >>>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >>> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/9Jqr2OjGTus/unsubscribe >>> . >>> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >>> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>> >> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d87de7a7-f7b5-46ac-99dc-3d0b13ec991an%40googlegroups.com >>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d87de7a7-f7b5-46ac-99dc-3d0b13ec991an%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>> . >>> >> >> >> -- >> >> KYLE V. COTCHETT >> >> An urban planner of sorts >> >> kyleco...@gmail.com >> >> (650) 863-0925 >> > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c6a95944-daae-47ac-a0ac-6e353cab84f9n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c6a95944-daae-47ac-a0ac-6e353cab84f9n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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